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polymers

In polymer: Synthetic polymers
The simplest polyacetal is polyformaldehyde. It has a high melting point and is crystalline and resistant to abrasion and the action of solvents. Acetal resins are more like metal than are any other plastics and are used in the manufacture of machine parts such as gears and bearings.
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In major industrial polymers: Melamine-formaldehyde polymers
These compounds are similar to urea-formaldehyde resins in their processing and applications. In addition, their greater hardness and water resistance makes them suitable for decorative dinnerware and for fabrication into the tabletop and countertop product developed by the Formica Corporation and sold under the trademarked name…
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polyether

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polyether

chemical compound

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Related Topics:: epoxy; epoxy resin; polypropylene glycol; crown ether; phenoxy resin

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polyether, any of a class of organic substances prepared by joining together or polymerizing many molecules of simpler compounds (monomers) by establishing ether links between them; polyethers, which may be either chainlike or networklike in molecular structure, comprise an unusually diverse group of polymers.

Polyethylene glycols are water-soluble liquids or waxy solids used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations and in the manufacture of emulsifying or wetting agents and lubricants. Polypropylene glycols are liquids, mostly insoluble in water, used to suppress foaming in industrial processes and for making polyurethane resins, hydraulic fluids, and various other materials.

Epoxy resins, widely used as coatings and adhesives, are prepared by converting liquid polyethers into infusible solids by connecting the long-chain molecules into networks, a process called curing. Phenoxy resins are polyethers similar to those used in epoxies, but the polymers are of higher molecular weight and do not require curing; they are used mostly as metal primers. Polyphenylene oxide resins, such as Noryl, possess great resistance to water and to high temperatures (175°–300° C; 350°–575° F). Penton, a chlorine-containing polyether unaffected by many chemicals, is fabricated into sheets used for lining storage tanks and the like.